Signal



June 13, 1933. H. P. HALL 1,913,483

SIGNAL Filed Feb. 5, 1952 Patented June 13, 1933 HENRY If. HAL-L, or Lone BEACH, CALIFORNIA SIGNAL Application filed February 5, 1932. 'SeriaI No. 591,164.

The device formingthe subject matter of this application is a mounted on a vehicle, for the purpose of 1ndicating the intentions of. the driver o'f the vehicle relative to making turns, or for any other purpose. One'object ofthe invention is to provide novel meansl'for operating the signal arm, and ,to provide novel means for imparting movement from the operating member to the signal arm. I

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance, the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

, With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention- In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shows in section, a portion of an automobile whereon the device forming the subject matter of this application has been mounted, the device itself appearing in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section parts being broken away, and parts being in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2';

Fig. 4 is a fragmental side elevation Fig. 5 is a fragmental transverse section of the casing;

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing the'inner surface of one of the plates of the casing.

The device forming the subject matter of this application preferably is made of metal, saving where electrical insulation must be used. It includes a casingl, comprising parallel side plates 2 and 3, held together rigidly by securing elements 4.

Supported for rotation between the side plates 2 and 3 of the casing, as indicated at 5, are an outer gear 6, an intermediate gear 7 and an inner gear 8, the gearsS and 6 mesh- 501 ing with the gear 7, as Fig. 2 will show.

signal adapted to be,

plate 3, the seat 35 is in the The gear 6 has an outwardly extended signal arm 9 .carrying a tubular extension 10' provided with a frame 11 in which is located. an electric lamp 12.. The means 16 for lighting and extinguishing the lamp 12 is a sepa'-. rate invention which cannot be claimed herein. 7 Q

I The inner gear 8 has an; operating member, such. as an arm 26. In the inner surfaces of theside plates 2and 3 there are loop-shaped 6 grooves 27 ,and in these grooves, flexible cover strips 28 are-mountedto slide, the cover strips being made of resilient metal if desired- .The parts 28'are called cover strips, because they close thecasing 1 between the side plates-2 and '3, and protect the gears 6, 7 and 8 from the Weather. The cover strips 28 abut at their ends against oppositesides of the arms 26 and 9, and when the said arms are swung up or down, the cover strips 28 will move longitudinally in the grooves 27, it being, possible, thus, to havethe necessary vertical movement in the arms 26 and 9, and

' at the'same'time have a casing which is tightly closed aga-inst'theweather.

On the upper end of the operating arm 26, at the side thereof, there is a handle 29. The handle 29 may be of the well-known variety sometimes described in hardware catalogues as a barn'door pull, the ends, of such. a handle being secured tovan object, and the intermediate portion of the handle being. bowed outwardly between its places of attachment, so that the fingers of an operator can be inserted between the object and the intermediate-portion of the handle, and then I be crooked around theintermediate portion of the handle. A plunger 30'is mounted for longitudinal reciprocation in the arm 26. The lower end of the plunger 30 bears against a latch 31', fulcrumed intermediate its ends at 32. on the arm 26, a spring 33 beingfheld on the arm 26, by the handle 29, the spring cooperating with the inner end of the latch 31, to cause the latchto engage in any of a plurality of seats 34, 35 and 36, formed in the edge of the side plate 3 of the casing 1.

The'seats 34 are in the upper edge of the outer end of the plate, and the seat 36 is in the lower edge of the plate, as can be seen in Fig. 6.

The casing 1 may be mounted on any accessible part of an automobile 40, and on the inner wall of the automobile is placed an inwardly extended, resilient fork 37, which engages the arm 26, when the arm is swung upwardly to the position of Fig. 2. A similar fork 38 is mounted on the outside of the car, and receives the arm 10, when the arm is swung downwardly to the solid line position of Fig. 1. When the arm is in that position, the frame 11 on the arm rests against a cushion 39 on the outside of the car 40.

In practical operation, the operator slips the fingers/of his hand between the handle 29 and the arm 26, and takes hold of the handle, the thumb of the same hand being employed to push the plunger 30 downwardly, disengaging the latch 31 from one or the other or the seats 34. The latch 31 may be engaged with the seat 35 to hold the signal arm 10 horizontally, or it may be engaged in the seat 36, to hold the signal arm 10 at the upwardly inclined position shown in the upper part of Fig. 1.

When rotation is imparted to the gear 8 by means of the arm 26,'rotation is imparted to the gear 7, and the gear 7 rotates the gear 6, the arm 10 being swung upwardly and downwardly in a manner which will be well understood when Fig. 1 of the drawing is noted.

When the arms 9 and 26 are swung upwardly and downwardly, they cause the resilient cover strips 28 to slide endwise in the grooves 27 of the plates 2 and 3 of the casing 1 1, and the casing at all times is weather tight,

without interfering with the upward and downward movement of the arms 109, and 26.

Many modifications of the invention are possible, within the spirit of it, but the form shown in the drawing, or an equivalent form,

will afford a convenient means whereby a person seated within an automobile can give tratfic signals to those outside of the automobile.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a traffic signal for autos, a casing comprising side plates having loop-shaped grooves on their inner sides, a signal arm mounted between the side plates for swinging movement, an operating arm mounted between the side plates for swinging movement, means for connecting the arms operatively together, and flexible cover strips slidable in the grooves and engaged at their ends with opposite edges of both arms.

2. In a traflic signal for autos, a casing provided on one end with a seat, an inner gear,

- an outer gear, and an intermediate gear, all

located in the same plane and journaled on the casing, the inner gear and the outer gear meshing with the intermediate gear, an op erating arm on the inner gear, a signal arm on the outer gear, an offset outstanding handle on the side of the operating arm, a lat-ch fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the operating arm, spring means engaged with the latch to cause one end of the latch to cooperate with the seat, said spring means being ielcl on the operating arm by the handle, and a plunger engaged at one end with the opposite end of the latch, to disengage the firstspecified end of the latch from the seat, the plunger being mounted for right-line sliding movement in the operating arm, the opposite end of the plunger being located so closely adjacent to the outer end of the handle that the plunger can be actuated by the thumb of one hand of an operator when the fingers of the same hand are inserted between the handle and the operating arm and are gripped about the handle.

3. In a traffic signal for autos, a casing, an inner gear, an outer gear and an intermediate ear, all located in the same plane and journaled on the casing for rotation about parallel axes, the inner gear and the outer gear meshing with the intermediate gear,

an operating arm fixed to the inner gear and extended out of the casing, the operating arm being provided with a handle adapted to be grasped directly by the hand of an operator, a signal arm fixed to the outer gear and extended out of the casing, the arms having movement in the same plane, and means for mounting the casing on an auto, with the signal arm outside of the auto, and with the operating arm inside of the auto and with the handle accessible to an occupant of the auto.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

HENRY P. HALL. 

